Reparative or conversion therapy describe any attempt
or process to change a person's sexual orientation,
including efforts by transformational ministries. It is
sometimes called sexual re-orientation or ex-gay therapy. Research does
not support conversion therapy as an effective treatment
modality. There have been no objective screening
criteria, no consensus about outcome measurement, and no
blinded or side-by-side studies and there is no article
in a peer reviewed scientific journal stating that
conversion therapy alters someone's sexual orientation.
More importantly, there is potential for harm when
clients participate in conversion therapy. The American
Psychological Association (APA), American Counseling
Association (ACA), and American Medical Association
(AMA), and other professional organizations have cited
certain ethical concerns and considerations related to
the ethics of this process.

Official
Statements Regarding Reparative Therapy

“Aversion therapy (a behavioral or
medical intervention which pairs unwanted behavior, in
this case, homosexual behavior, with unpleasant
sensations or aversive consequences) is no longer
recommended for gay men and lesbians. Through
psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become
comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand
the societal response to it. We oppose the use of
‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy that is based upon
the assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder
or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient
should change his/her homosexual orientation.”-American Medical Association

“Therapy directed at specifically changing sexual
orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke
guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential
for achieving changes in orientation.”-American Academy of Pediatrics

“We not consider homosexuality a disorder that requires
treatment, and as such, we see no basis for reparative
therapy.”-American Association for Marriage
& Family Therapy

"We oppose the use of conversion, reorientation, or
reparative therapy for the treatment of LGBTQ persons."-American College of Physicians

“We oppose the belief that same-sex attraction and
behavior is abnormal and in need of treatment. We oppose
portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals as
mentally ill due to their sexual orientation. We oppose
the promotion of reparative therapy as a cure for
individuals who are homosexual."-American Counseling Association

“Psychotherapeutic modalities to convert or ‘repair’
homosexuality are based on developmental theories whose
scientific validity is questionable. The potential risks
of reparative therapy are great, including depression,
anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist
alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality
may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the
patient. Therefore, we oppose any psychiatric treatment
such as reparative or conversion therapy which is based
upon the assumption that homosexuality is a mental
disorder or based upon the assumption that a patient
should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation.”-American Psychiatric Association

“We affirm that same-sex sexual and romantic
attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and
positive variations of human sexuality regardless of
sexual orientation identity; We affirm that
homosexuality is not a mental disorder and opposes
portrayals of sexual minority youths and adults as
mentally ill due to their sexual orientation; We
conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support
the use of psychological interventions to change sexual
orientation; We encourage mental health professionals to
avoid misrepresenting the efficacy of sexual orientation
change efforts by promoting or promising change in
sexual orientation when providing assistance to
individuals distressed by their own or others’ sexual
orientation; We conclude that the benefits reported by
participants in sexual orientation change efforts can be
gained through approaches that do not attempt to change
sexual orientation."-American Psychological
Association

In October 2015, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) published the report
Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming
LGBTQ Youth. The report marked the first time we had
conclusive, universal data, federally, that conversion
therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
queer (LGBTQ) youth is not effective. In fact,
conversion “therapy” has far more harmful repercussions
than positive.

Children in the LGBTQ community, whether they understand
or recognize their sexual orientation, seek
understanding and acceptance. Forming a healthy identity
is one of the most crucial parts of a child’s
development. The problem is our society thinks of gender
two ways: male or female. This leaves little room for
variance for youth who have non-traditional
identification with their genders assigned at birth. For
example, elementary school teachers unintentionally
introduce the idea of only two genders with which a
child can identify. It can alienate children simply by
asking them to line up based on gender—boys in one line,
girls in the other. While this may not be the teacher’s
intention, for a child confused about their gender
orientation, this can be stressful. Physiological sex
and gender are two very different things and we must
recognize their impact on youth growing up in our modern
world.

Judith Glassgold, PsyD, American Psychological
Association associate executive director and government
relations office public interest directorate, made the
point that it’s normal for children to explore gender
identities. Binary definitions of gender are not a part
of the normal human experience. These definitions are
something that society dictates. So, if it is a societal
problem, why do we blame people for gender exploration?
This is an issue that parents, especially, must address.

Dr. Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance
Project at San Francisco State University, pointed out
that health care providers assume parents and educators
know about the unique lived experiences of members of
LGBTQ community. In reality, many parents are misguided
about the stresses facing LGBTQ youth. Health care
providers need to know how important it is for LGBTQ
children to feel accepted by their families.

The Family Acceptance Project study found LGBTQ youth
whose families rejected them were six times more likely
to develop a mental illness and eight times more likely
to attempt suicide. This is astonishing. Most parents
worry about what their children are exposed to, but in
this case, it is particularly important parents be
careful and act with care. It’s easy for a parent to
indirectly tell their child that not conforming to
societal standards is wrong. By telling a child, “this
is just a phase,” or “you’ll grow out of it,” parents
and guardians set a precedent that they don’t accept
their children the way they are.

A positive way to help affirm and show acceptance of
LGBTQ youth is to teach healthy coping skills. This is
not just applicable for parents with LGBTQ children, but
for youth in general. Hate crimes and bullying occur in
all pockets of this nation to all kinds of
people, straight or gay. And this is especially true for
members of the LGBTQ community. Teaching a child
resiliency will strengthen their ability to form a
confident identity and teach them they’re stronger than
it may seem. These are the greatest skills a child can
have in school and in life.

As Lin Manuel Miranda said in his 2016 Tony Award
acceptance speech, “Love is love is love is love.” No
amount of conversion therapy or prejudice will prevent
that from being true. Thanks to SAMHSA’s conversion
therapy study, we have scientific data detailing the
dangers and ineffectiveness of these types of therapy
and that acceptance is much stronger than rejection in
building healthy children and adults.

[Source:
Adam Swanson, National Council for Behavioral Health,
June 2016]

The governing board of American Psychological
Association passed a resolution, 125 to 4, declaring
that mental health professionals should not tell gay
clients they can become straight through therapy or
other treatments. The article goes on to say "Instead,
the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options (that could range from celibacy to switching churches) for helping clients whose sexual orientation and
religious faith conflict. In the resolution, and in a
comprehensive report based on two years of research, the
150,000 member association put itself firmly on record
in opposition of so called "reparative therapy" which
seeks to change sexual orientation. No solid evidence
exists that such change is likely, says the report, and
some research suggests that efforts to produce change
could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal
tendencies."

The APA Council of Representatives expressed its ethical
concerns of reparative therapy and issued these basic
principles:

--Homosexuality is not a mental disorder and the APA
opposes all portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual
people as mentally ill and in need of treatment due to
their sexual orientation.

--Psychologists do not knowingly participate in or
condone discriminatory practices with lesbian, gay and
bisexual clients.

--Psychologists respect the rights of individuals,
including lesbian, gay and bisexual clients to privacy,
confidentiality, self-determination and autonomy.

--Psychologists obtain appropriate informed consent to
therapy in their work with lesbian, gay and bisexual
clients.

--The resolution further states that the APA "urges all
mental health professionals to take the lead in removing
the stigma of mental illness that has long been
associated with homosexual orientation."

Supporters of the resolution, which passed the APA
Council overwhelmingly by a voice vote, believed that it
was critical for the Association to make such a
statement due to the questions of the ethics, efficacy
and benefits of conversion therapy which are now being
debated within the profession and within society as a
whole. "Our concern," stated Douglas Haldeman, PhD,
President of APA's Society for the Psychological Study
Of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues, "is that a person,
especially a young person, who enters into therapy to
deal with issues of sexual orientation should be able to
have the expectation that such therapy would take place
in a professionally neutral environment absent of any
societal bias.

Additionally, therapists should be providing clients
with accurate information about same-sex sexual
orientation. This resolution reasserts the profession's
commitment to those two principles." The APA Council of
Representatives is the major legislative and
policy-setting body of the organization. The American
Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is
the largest scientific and professional organization
representing psychology in the United States and is the
world's largest association of psychologists. APA's
membership includes more than 151,000 researchers,
educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through
its divisions in 50 subfields of psychology and
affiliations with 58 state, territorial and Canadian
provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology
as a science, as a profession and as a means of
promoting human welfare.

The Ethics Committee of the American Counseling
Association have offered consultation regarding the
practice of conversion therapy based on their Code of
Ethics. They shared their formal interpretation of
specific sections of the ACA Code of Ethics concerning
the practice of conversion therapy and the ethics of
referring clients for this practice.

The basic goal of reparative/conversion therapy is to
change an individual's sexual orientation from
homosexual to heterosexual. Counselors who conduct this
type of therapy view same-sex attractions and behaviors
as abnormal and unnatural and, therefore, in need of
"curing." The belief that same-sex attraction and
behavior is abnormal and in need of treatment is in
opposition to the position taken by national mental
health organizations, including ACA.

ACA opposes portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual
individuals as mentally ill due to their sexual
orientation. In addition, their resolution supports
dissemination of accurate information about sexual
orientation, mental health and appropriate interventions
and instructs counselors to "report research accurately
and in a manner that minimizes the possibility that
results will be misleading.” They adopted a statement
"opposing the promotion of reparative therapy as a cure
for individuals who are homosexual." In fact, according
to the DSM-IV-TR, homosexuality is not a mental disorder
in need of being changed. With this in mind, ACA has a
difficult time discussing the appropriateness of
conversion therapy as a treatment plan.

ACA has found no scientific evidence published in
psychological peer-reviewed journals that conversion
therapy is effective in changing an individual's sexual
orientation from same-sex attractions to opposite-sex
attractions. They find no longitudinal studies conducted
to follow the outcomes for those individuals who have
engaged in this type of treatment. They conclude that
research published in peer-reviewed counseling journals
indicates that conversion therapies may harm clients.

Conversion therapy assumes that a person who has
same-sex attractions and behaviors is mentally
disordered and that this belief contradicts positions
held by the American Counseling Association and other
mental health and biomedical professional organizations.
Additionally, the ACA does not endorse reparative
therapy as a "cure" for homosexuality.

Conversion therapy as a practice is a religious, not
psychologically-based, practice. The premise of the
treatment is to change a client's sexual orientation.
The treatment may include techniques based in Christian
faith-based methods such as the use of "testimonials,
mentoring, prayer, Bible readings, and Christian weekend
workshops.”

It may also use cognitive-behavioral techniques such as
aversion therapy (stopping clients from masturbating to
same-sex images; encouraging imagery of getting AIDS
paired to same-sex arousal), reinforcement techniques
that emphasize traditional gender role behavior (for men
to "engage in team sports, to go the gym, and for women
"to learn how to cook, sew, and apply make-up"), and use
of sexual surrogates. However, there is no training
offered or condoned by the American Counseling
Association to educate and prepare a professional
counselor wishing to engage in this type of treatment.

Research does not support conversion therapy as an
effective treatment modality. There have been "no
objective screening criteria, no consensus about outcome
measurement, and no blinded or side-by-side studies" and
there is "no article in a peer reviewed scientific
journal" stating that conversion therapy alters
someone's sexual orientation. Further, no long-term
studies have been conducted to discern whether research
participants who reported a change in their behaviors
maintained these changes over time. And, most
importantly, there is potential for harm when clients
participate in conversion therapy.

In June 2012, after 37 years, Exodus International, an
organization whose mission was to "help" gay Christians
become straight, is shutting down. But not before
issuing an apology. "We're not negating the ways God
used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people,
but a new generation of Christians is looking for change
and they want to be heard," Tony Moore, an Exodus
board member, said Wednesday. The announcement comes
less than a day after Exodus issued a wide-ranging
apology to the gay community for "years of undue
judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as
a whole," a statement from the group says.

"Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian
world, but we've ceased to be a living, breathing
organism," said Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus.
"For quite some time, we've been imprisoned in a
worldview that's neither honoring toward our fellow
human beings, nor biblical." Chambers, who has a wife
and children and previously identified as gay, has
acknowledged that he has "ongoing same-sex
attractions." Exodus, which has promoted "freedom from
homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ," has
de-emphasized conversion therapy in recent years as more
of the counselors in its network have abandoned the
practice.

The American Psychological Association defines
conversion therapy as aimed at changing sexual
orientation, but adopted a resolution in 2009 condemning
the practice. In it, the organization said "mental
health professionals should avoid telling clients that
they can change their sexual orientation through therapy
or other treatments." But the same resolution also
encouraged therapists to consider the religious beliefs
of clients who say such beliefs are important to their
views of homosexuality. The APA removed homosexuality
from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders in 1975. But yet with the apology, some
things have not changed, according to Chambers. "I
cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs
about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex,
but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and
respect for those who do not share them," he said. "I
cannot apologize for my beliefs about marriage. But I do
not have any desire to fight you on your beliefs or the
rights that you seek."

Dr. Robert Spitzer is a major architect of the modern
classification of mental disorders. He is considered by
some to be the father of modern psychiatry. In May 2012,
he apologized to the gay community for his decade-old
study that concluded some gay people can go straight
through what's called reparative therapy. He now says
he no longer believes his work showed that.

"I believe I owe the gay community an apology for my
study making unproven claims of the efficacy of
reparative therapy. I also apologize to any gay person
who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of
reparative therapy because they believed that I had
proven that reparative therapy works with some 'highly
motivated' individuals."

For the study, Spitzer had interviewed 200 people who'd
claimed some degree of change. The "fatal flaw" is that
there is no way to judge the credibility of their
accounts, Spitzer says in a letter he submitted last
month to a journal that published his work in 2003. The
work made headlines when he presented it at a 2001
meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. One
reason for the attention was that Spitzer had played a
leading role 30 years before in removing homosexuality
from the list of mental disorders in the association's
diagnostic manual. Spitzer's study was attacked by
critics who questioned the reliability of the accounts
from the people he interviewed. At the time, Spitzer
acknowledged that he had no proof their stories were
accurate, but said several aspects of their accounts
suggested their statements could not be dismissed out of
hand.

In 1973, Dr. Spitzer, a Columbia University professor,
helped spearhead the removal of homosexuality as a
mental disorder from the American Psychiatric
Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. So, it
was quite a media sensation when Spitzer unveiled a
controversial new study in May 2001 suggesting that some
very motivated homosexual study subjects provided by
anti-gay organizations could switch sexual
orientations. At that time, LGBTQ leaders and many
researchers pointed to methodological flaws in the
study. Despite his differences with scientists, Spitzer
made it clear that he did not want his study used to
justify discrimination. He also strongly emphasized the
fact that he did not think most gay people could become
heterosexual and that change was extremely rare.

Unfortunately, anti-gay organizations repeatedly misused
his study to claim that all gay people could go from gay
to straight through prayer or therapy. His study results
were deliberately misinterpreted so often, that Spitzer
has been forced to repeatedly set the record straight.
Here are examples of Spitzer saying either that change
was highly improbable or that right wing organizations
had misapplied his work to fit their political agenda.

Now he says his reasoning was wrong, and that "there was
no way to determine if the subject's accounts of change
were valid," he wrote in a letter to the editor of the
Archives of Sexual Behavior. Spitzer, who is 80 years
old and lives in Princeton, NJ, sent a copy to The
Associated Press after a reporter interviewed him about
his change of heart. "I believe I owe the gay
community an apology for my study making unproven claims
of the efficacy of reparative therapy," Spitzer wrote.
"I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and
energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy
because they believed that I had proven that reparative
therapy works with some 'highly motivated' individuals."